Photos and maybe some more stories...

This trip has been so unbelievably interesting for me. I've met amazingly friendly people all along the way. I haven't seen my photos on a computer yet and i think most of it will be rather boring and doesn't fulfill any artistic criteria but is purely documentary. However I'll post a some of it at the latest when i get home to my computer. To get this done here is pretty much impossible.

Getting close to the finish line

I think i haven't posted anything since Sumy. That was the last Ukrainian city before the Russian border. I didn't cross the border that day, as I passed a scenic little lake that afternoon. And I couldn't resist and had to jump into the lake like some locals. I really don't know why i haven't started this any earlier. It's the perfect measure for a quick cool down. I just take off my shoes and helmet and then walk in with my clothes... The next 15min on the bike are simply enjoyable. Not terribly hot for once. Ukraine presented me with an absolutely lovely family of grandmother, mother and daughter that night. I was invited to spend the night in their house, was shown the chicken, ducks, pigs and their vegetable garden. Later i was fed with huge amounts of great tasting food, all of it from own production. the next morning i was really early at the border. Before 7am. The Ukrainians were totally friendly and so i expected some trouble on the other side. But instead i was done in 10minutes. They even filled in the forms for me, because they wanted to have them written in Kyrillic letters and didn't believe i would be capable to copy down my name from the visa. So anyway, a handsome border officer did this for me and i was not checked any further but sent into the country. So first thing to do was to find a bankomat and get some Russian cash and a second breakfast. An ugly little town offered both. But not without the first few "njet"s. Cyclists are really not on top of the ladder here. And trying to get your bike into any safe place here is a mission, because there don't seem to be any bikes of value around. So your expected to leave it on the road. i left this town after being held up by some friendly but totally annoying person from some little local newspaper. This whole episode was so bizarre and funny, i should have had a secret camera with me. i cycled past Kursk that day and yesterday passed Voronesh. Today I'll pass Tambov. 237km and 1.5 days left.

Almost at the border

I am about 40 to 50km before the Russian border.
Have to leave the internet cafe. Time is up. I did only 100km yesterday, hope to catch up a few kilometres today. But this will only be possible if they let me pass the border. Hopefully no troubles because I am travelling by bike, not by car.

Anyway, I have done 2261km by now. Still optimistic :)

Last night I spent with a Ukrainian family. Really friendly people. I was served lots of really tasteful food and - of course - vodka and beer. Was invited to sleep in the house. Which I did. Was like sleeping in an oven. Unbelievably hot.

It's hot here all day - I really have to start cycling earlier. Started around 7.30 this morning, and it was definitely much better than the other days. Ok, have to get myself to the border now. More adventures waiting.

I hope to get to Kursk by tomorrow night.

Kiev

Ukraine is simply huge. I don't really want to spend too much thought on the fact that I have only passed about half the country yet. But anyway, it is quite often very beautiful here, and I expect Russia to look very very similar. Roadwise, houses, gardens, nature, people. Actually I hope it is similar. If it is, then I'll manage the rest of the days of this trip quite easily.

From Rivne to Novograd Volinskij to Malin to Kiev. Had some very hot days. Very very hot actually. The days are somewhat repetitive. I eat drink and spend an awfully long time monotonously cycling :) just to then fall asleep within seconds, after stuffing as much food as possible into me. I don't think everybody would enjoy this sort of a holiday. But no... actually.. I do enjoy it most of the time. I've seen quite a lot of places that I would like to return to. Unfortunately it's getting late and I have to find a shop before they close, because I need some FOOD. Kiev seems to be an interesting messy big city. I have to return. Without bike. Or with more time.

Short status update on kilometres: I have done 1906 km, i.e. still 1094km to go. Still 7,5 days left. If roads don't get much worse, then it is possible to do it. 150km on 7 days, 44km on the last day. On the last day I have to be finished at about 3pm. Then exactly 3 weeks have passed since I left home. My nice home....mmhhhh. Will be nice to get back! But still some adventures to come.

Rivne

I am still somewhere in the North-West of Ukraine. Rivne to be precise. Roads have been better than expected so far, so it is actually feasible to do 150km a day. People have been much more friendly than I thought they would be. It probably helps that I look so alien, they are simply curious what is behind this weird outfit. And then being on my own most likely also helps.

I didn't have much trouble to get into Ukraine. First I was told bycicles were not allowed to pass this border post.. only cars. But then the same guy found me a van which would take me and my bike across the border and drop me on the other side.

It's been really hot the last few days, very humid as well. Yesterday I was totally tired at some stage, but two coffees and one litre of cold water later I was as good as new. And so I cycled through some really beautiful back country... sometimes it looks like time has been held still here. Many houses are nicely painted, colourful flowers in the front yard. Every single person I have asked for help has so far been friendly and trying to answer my questions.

Last night I had a closer look at my maps.. of Ukraine and Russia. And I really don't think that 3000km will get me to Yoshkar-Ola. But I then decided to think about this question at the time I have reached the 3000km.

By the way, a lot of things are different here. But then.. underneath the cover it is all the same. The girl next to me in this internet cafe just walked in, logged into facebook, and first thing she does is that she grows eggplants or something on her farmville thing. People do the weirdest things all over the planet :)

I better get going. Have to get out of my hotel room. Heading towards Kiev. But it will take at least 2,5 days to get there. Should be about 375km from here. But on the roads I am taking it is probably more like 450km. 3 days. If things keep going well.

Last night, when I was cycling into Rivne, I had an ant under my shirt. Unbelievably painful, this little bugger peed on me a few times while I asked people for a hotel...great. You can't really jump off the bike and start scratching in the middle of an conversation. Not even after the conversation with people watching all the time. Finally, about 30min later, I got him, when I was standing right in the bright shining lobby of the hotel. But I let him run off.

Ukraine

I haven't been good at posting at all! I don't even remember any more what happened which day. Terrible. And i am way too tired in the evenings to keep a diary. I'm trying, but it simply never works out. I visited another nice old town in Poland. Zamosc. Then moved on to leave the EU, to start the adventure. Overall i did about 600km in the last four days, so now with half the time gone i have done exactly 1490km. So i think it's still possible to win :) Ukraine has been really interesting so far. Actually much more beautiful and friendly than expected. to tired to write anything of interest now. Maybe tomorrow!

Still in Polska

The last two days were quite lazy. On Thursday I raced to Bytom, so that I could have a lazy day on Friday, get a few parts and things, relax, sleep well, meet friends and simply have a good time. And I did. Marcin helped me with all the things I wanted to get done. Showed me his new work place in a really fantastic old building. This old power station I already mentioned in the last post. I would like to upload a photo, but it would take too long now. I'll do that either some other day on tour, or after the trip. Finally, I will get a website for some of my photos when I am back to Munich.

I got some parts (another spare tube, spare tires and a rear mirror) and help in this really friendly and well equipped bike shop in Bytom. My rear brake needed adjustment.. which I didn't even notice. But the nice guy was so kind to check my bike before letting me head off to Ukraine. Great. The support I get from people that have never seen me before is amazing.

Marcin's friend let me use his computer for quite some time in his beautiful office in the same old power station, other friends invited us for dinner - and so I could leave Bytom well equipped and full of great food. I didn't leave the city before 6pm, so that day I just did a really short ride of about 63km. I planned to meet Marcin that night in a close by climbing area. Polish Jura. Really beautiful area, with soft hills, limestone pinnacles and ruins of old castles. So Marcin followed me in his little Fiat 126p, one of the most beautiful cars ever built, and we later met in someone's garden, where we camped, grilled a sausage on the fire and had a nice cold beer.

Yesterday i started quite late again, so after 149,9km the sun was setting and I was in the middle of some never-ending dark forest. So I tried to get out of it as fast as possible. Didn't really want to get run over in the dark by one of the rather fast cars constantly passing me... Out in the open again I quickly found a nice spot to pitch my tent. Not far from the road but hidden behind a line of trees. Even ground and... ABBA music in the background. For hours. I wonder what sort of entertainment thing was going on there :)

Today is another really burning hot day. Like yesterday, just a little hotter I guess. I should better get going. I am still bit behind schedule now. With 1078 kilometers done I have to catch up about 85 kilometers. Would be easier to do this in Poland, as roads and everything else is most likely to be a lot worse and/or complicated in Ukraine and Russia. But then - it's still a holiday, not a race, and I like stopping anytime I feel like it. And I don't expect to see too many computers before I get to my final destination.

Anyway, I better get going!